A Detailed Mathematical Analysis of Chicken Grain Cost

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Elizabeth Rennert - rgf Staff

For a while, Red Gate Farm has mixed our own chicken grain, after purchasing each of the components (corn, soy, barley, etc.) separately. Recently, however, we’ve switched our chickens over to premade Poulin Grain layer pellets.

My goal is to figure out which is more cost-effective, mixing our own grain or buying premade pellets. Since I already have the price per 50 pound bag of the layer pellets, I want to calculate the cost of 50 pounds of our mixed chicken grain.

To start off, I have to figure out how much of each component went into one batch of grain. When mixing, we have buckets marked with lines to fill up to. In order to convert these lines into volume, I used a known measurement of water and kept adding until the line was reached. After having the volume in cups, I converted these quantities to gallons.

Since the goal is to figure out cost, and we purchase the components by weight, I have to convert volume to weight. I did this by weighing out a known volume of each component and calculating the density. By multiplying the volume per batch by the density, I got a list with the weight of each component in one batch of grain.

Then, I found the price of each component, and what quantity (in pounds) we buy them in. This allows me to calculate the price per pound. And with price per pound and pounds per batch, I can multiply to find the cost per batch by components.

The total cost for one batch of mixed grain is $23.22 and the total weight of one batch is 67.3 pounds. I can use proportions to find the cost per 50 pounds of mixed grain.

Without further ado, here are the results!

50 pounds of our mixed grain costs $17.25. One 50lb bag of layer pellets costs $16.59 so there is a price difference of only $0.66 per 50 pounds!

Ewe-lambs, Ram-Lambs, Ovines and Bovines! Animal Terms at Red Gate Farm

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As you drive around the farmlands of western mass, you may see a field of cattle and you intuitively think: “A field of cows!”  But are they truly cows?  What’s the difference between cow and cattle or bull and ox for that matter?  Let’s look at animal terminology for our animals on our farm:

Bovine

Our oxen are Steers.

Bovine- a term used for cattle including domesticated cattle, bison, and buffalo. All Cows are cattle, but not all cattle are cows. Cattle is a term used for more than one bovine.  A Calf is a young bovine under 6-10 months of age. Heifers are young cattle not ready for breeding. Cows are mature female cattle. Bulls are male cattle for breeding, and steer are bulls that are neutered.

Ox- are cattle used for working on the farm. Oxen (plural for ox) like on our farm, are typically male steers because male cattle grow to be larger and more ideal for using to pull or move heavy items on the farm like wagons or logs. Cows can also be oxen and trained for work too.

Ovine

Our Ewe and her two lambs.

Ovine- a term used for sheep.  Lambkin is a newly born ovine.  Lamb is a young ovine under the age of 1 year old. Ewe-lamb are young female ovines.  Ewe- an adult female over the age of 1 year old. Ram-lamb are young male ovines. Ram are male ovines over 1 year old for breeding. Wether is a term for neutered ovine.

Caprine

Wallace and Gromit are wethers.

Caprine- is a term for goats. A Kid is a young caprine under the age of 1 year old. Doeling are female kids under the age of 1 year old. Doe is a female caprine. Buckling are male kids under the age of 1 year old. Buck is a male caprine for breeding. Wether is a term for neutered male caprine. 

Porcine

 Our Pigs (not yet mature swine).

Porcine- is a term relating to swine. Piglet is a porcine under the age of 14-21 days old and still nursing. Pig is a term for young swine not yet fully mature, and it also includes mature swine with an adult weight under 150 pounds.  A Hog is a term for mature swine with an adult weight over 150 pounds. Gilt are young adult female swine. Sow are adult swine for breeding. Boar is a term for adult male swine for breeding. Barrow is a term for young neutered male swine while male swine that were neutered after maturity are called stags.

Fowl

One of our Pullets.

Fowl is a term used for two biological orders of birds which are game/land fowl (Galliformes) and waterfowl (Anseriformes). Gamefowl or Landfowl is a term for domesticated chickens, turkey, pheasant, and quail. Waterfowl is a term used for domesticated ducks, geese, and swans. Poultry is a term relating to domesticated fowl which include all domesticated gamefowl, landfowl, and waterfowl raised for meat and eggs.

Chicken: A chick is a newly hatched or very young chicken before they develop feathers. Pullet is a term for young female chicken that has yet to lay eggs and is under 1 year old. Cockerel is a term for young male chicken under 1 year old. A Hen is an adult chicken 1 or more years old. Cock or Rooster is a term for adult male chicken 1 or more years old.

Duck: A duckling is a newly hatched or very young waterfowl before they develop feathers. Young Duck is a term for female waterfowl under 1 year old and Old Duck is a female 1 year or more old. Young Drake is a term for male waterfowl under 1 year of age and Old Drake is a male 1 year or more old. We have one Old Drake and One Old Hen at the farm.

Our two waterfowls: an Old Duck and Old Drake.

Just like scientists use specific terminology in their field of work, so do farmers and people who work with domesticated animals will use specific terms to describe the animals they work with. The more you work with domestic animals, the more these terms come into play of common use. Next time you see a field of cattle, hopefully you can see whether they are truly a field of cows or not!

Source: Livestock Conservancy. “Animal terms and their proper usage.” 2020, https://livestockconservancy.org/resources/animal-terms/. Accessed 8/17/2023.

Morning Chores

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Farm Manager Aiden takes care of the animals every morning! He makes sure they have clean water, plenty of food, and anything else they need (for example, the lambs have to be told how cute they are). Follow along as he drives the tractor, scoops grain, and visits each animal on this lovely Spring day!

Music: https://scottholmesmusic.com/ Scott Holmes Music Sensual Folk

Spring Photos with Jody

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Jody Hopp, our amazing program manager, has been taking some beautiful pictures around the farm lately. She’s noticed the farm cats venturing outside more frequently as temperatures warm. The lambs are being born and snuggling up with their moms. The first snow drops are blooming and the willow buds are opening up!